FILM REVIEWS:
I’M STILL HERE ("Ainda Estou Aqui”)(Brazil/France 2024) ****
Directed by Walter Salles
I’M STILL HERE is foremost a political film as the words on the screen at the start inform of the Brazilian dictatorship in Brazil and the runaway inflation, before the film centres on a family in Rio de Janeiro. The film is based on the book of the same name ("Ainda Estou Aqui")by Marcelo Rubens Paiva; tackling the arrest and disappearance of Rubens Paiva in 1971, Marcelo's father, during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
I’M STILL HERE is directed by renowned Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. He has not made a film in 12 years, the last one ON THE ROAD in 2012. Salles is most known for his Golden Bear-winning film CENTRAL STATION.
I’M STILL HERE is a layered film covering multiple genres and storylines. The film could be made into separate films if desired. The film takes a primary look from the female side from the family's matriarch as well. as a little, from the eldest daughter. The father of the family is also given due screen time, him revealed as a caring father though sympathetic to political causes, thus making him suspected by the dictatorship. As far as different genres go, the film is part of a family relationship/drama, a political thriller (with disturbing prison conditions) and coming-of-age as in the daughter's view.
Director Salles hones in on the psychological effect of ‘not knowing’. When the father is taken away, the family is left uninformed of his whereabouts as well as the reason for the affair, where he was arrested or kidnapped. When the mother is in prison, she is hooded, so she does not know where she is being taken. She also does not know where her husband is, her daughter is and how long she will be kept in custody, The effect of not knowing is often worse than revealing one’s worst fears.
The film has a strong political slant. In one scene, a prison guard who takes Eunice away tells her in confidence that he disapproves of what is happening. The segment shows that many people feel the same way but are too scared to do anything. A political activist, in December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Salles signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.
I’M STILL HERE had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim, with unanimous praise for Torres' performance, and was awarded the Best Screenplay prize. In September 2024, the film was selected as the Brazilian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. It opens on January 31st.
Trailer:
